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The present invention generally relates to a patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post surgery drain, and in particular to a method and apparatus for the post-surgical drain care of an operative site by a patient or health care provider.
Surgery may be necessary for many reasons. Surgery may offer a patient the only chance of survival in an emergency or slow down the rate of a progressive disease, such as cancer. Surgery may also be performed to improve the quality of a patient""s life, as in a total hip replacement. It may be done to improve a patient cosmetically. Surgery may also be performed as a diagnostic aid, for instance, the removal of a mole or enlarged gland to test for malignancy. It may be performed to remove some obstruction or disturbance of normal bodily function, such as a gall bladder containing stones. Many other types of surgeries are preformed on a regular basis.
When a surgical operation is complete, the surgeon closes the incision. In general, the surgeon stitches the underlying tissues with sutures that are eventually absorbed by the body tissues and uses a similar type of material to sew the layer of connective tissue beneath the skin. Finally, the surgeon joins the edges of the skin together. This is done with either non-absorbable thread stitches or staples.
If the incision is in an area under a great deal of pressure, for example, a large abdominal incision, the surgeon may insert large-tension stitches to support the skin stitches, particularly if the patient has a chest problem and may strain the incision by coughing. Clips tend to mark the skin less than stitches, but generally cannot be used if the area of the incision is under great tension.
It is sometimes necessary to leave a drain in or near the incision to allow blood and other secretions to escape, either into the dressing or into a suitable container. The drain is either a tube or a piece of plastic or rubber. This is normal procedure following an operation such as a cholecystectomy.
In modern post-operative care, every effort is made to have the patient out of bed and moving around as soon as possible. After most operations, it is possible to return home before the stitches are removed. A patient is usually advised of what activities are allowed and is provided with general instructions to follow. However, there is no specific method or system which provide patients with detailed instructions and apparatus for post-surgical drain care. Thus, there is a need for a method and system for the post-surgical drain care of an operative site by a patient or health care provider in the patient""s home.
The present invention provides a patient discharge system or apparatus and method for self-care of a post-surgical drain site by a patient. The system contains apparatus for at least one dressing change and comprises: (I) at least one pair of non-latex gloves; (II) at least one measuring cup; (III) at least one gauze pad; (IV) at least one adhesive tape remover pad; (V) at least one pencil; (VI) antibacterial soap; (VI) at least one piece of tape; (VII) at least one belt bag; (IX) at least one numbered drain label; (X) at least one split gauze pad with foam support bar; (XI) at least one drainage record card; (XII) at least one set of step-by-step instructions; and (XIII) a container with a ruler, where the above-named items are positioned inside the container.
In preferred embodiments of the system, the system contains sufficient apparatus for 30 dressing changes, the antibacterial soap is in liquid form, the tape is in a roll and is Micropore(trademark) tape, the measuring cup is calibrated, and the step-by-step instructions, the numbered drain label and the drainage record card are written in English, but other languages such as Spanish are contemplated. It is also contemplated that one preferred embodiment of the system includes a contents map identifying the contents and their positions.
In a more preferred embodiment of the system, the system includes apparatus for at least 30 dressing changes as provided above and comprises: (I) 20 pairs of non-latex gloves; (II) 30 calibrated measuring cups; (Ill) 30 gauze pads; (IV) 30 adhesive tape remover pads; (V) a pencil; (VI) antibacterial liquid soap; (VII) a roll of Micropore(trademark) tape; (VIII) 4 belt bags; (IX) 4 numbered drain labels; (X) 30 split gauze pads with foam support bars; (XI) 4 drainage record cards; (XII) a contents map; (XIII) a set of step-by-step instructions; and (XIV) a box having a box top with a ruler on an inside of the box top, wherein above-named items are positioned inside the box. If a waste bag is included in the system, the preferred embodiment also includes (XV) 15 plastic waste bags, otherwise waste bags may be provided by the user.
The method for self-care of a post-surgical drain site by a patient comprises changing a dressing of a post-surgical drain site with the apparatus in the system of the present invention in accordance with the detailed instructions in the system of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the method which is discussed in further detail below generally includes: (I) preparing for self-care; (II) draining the incision; (III) removing the old dressing; and (IV) replacing the dressing.
The present invention also includes a method for instructing or educating a user in self-care of a post-surgery drain site using the patient discharge system of the present invention. This patient education system includes a set of step-by-step instructions used by an instructor to train a user in caring for a post-surgery drain site, preferably using the system and a copy of the instructions or self-care documentation of the system.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a patient discharge system and method for self-care of a post-surgery drain.
It is a further object to provide detailed instructions for post surgery self-care using the contents of a self-care a patient discharge system.
An additional object is to provide detailed instructions to be used by a medical professional in instructing users in the use of the self-care a patient discharge system.